Overview
G2a2b1a41 is a deep rooted highland lineage preserved across the mountainous regions linking the Armenian plateau to the northern Zagros. These rugged landscapes formed corridors that connected early agricultural villages with pastoral highland groups during the Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods. The lineage likely originated among early mountain agropastoral societies with strong local continuity. The tmrca falls firmly within the Middle Bronze Age, coinciding with intensified regional stratification, the consolidation of Hurrian polities and the rise of fortified administrative centers in the Taurus–Zagros arc. G2a2b1a41’s internal structure reflects genealogical persistence under geographic isolation, with demographic pulses linked to localized expansions connected to highland settlements rather than large migrations.
Geographic distribution
The lineage appears most frequently in Armenia, eastern Turkey, northwest Iran and northern Iraq, with smaller but notable distributions in Georgia and northeastern Syria. It is practically absent beyond the Near Eastern highlands, reinforcing its status as a region bound clade.
Ancient DNA
- Chalcolithic and Bronze Age individuals from the Armenian highlands exhibit G derived signatures that correspond to ancestral phases of Y368221.
- Middle Bronze Age remains from the northern Zagros foothills show partial affinity with downstream variants suggested for this lineage.
- Iron Age Urartian contexts demonstrate long term paternal continuity within populations tied to upland political centers.
Phylogeny & subclades
Y368221 divides into a dominant Armenian plateau cluster, a Zagros oriented derivative and a northern Mesopotamian microbranch extending along the Tigris headwaters. Divergence times match well with archaeological models of clan based territorialization across highland enclaves.
- G-Y368221* Armenian plateau basal cluster
- G-Y368221a Zagros foothill derivative
- G-Y368221b upper Tigris microlineage
- G-Y368221c minor Georgian–Armenian upland offshoot
Notes & context
This lineage is a cornerstone for reconstructing the long term demographic stability of the Anatolia–Zagros highland arc within the G phylogeny.
References & external links